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For more free video updates go to www.oncologyeducation.com Incorporation of Bv into anthracycline and taxane containing adjuvant therapy does not improve IDFS or OS in pts with high risk HER2- breast cancer. Bv did increase AEs but no unexpected AEs were encountered. Longer duration therapy is unlikely to be feasible given the high rate of early discontinuation due to all causes.

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To view more free videos – visit www.oncologyeducation.com Profiling of protein expression, gene copy variations and mutations identified clinically relevant alterations in 99% of sarcomas. Given the overexpression of TOPO2 in approximately 50% of sarcomas, its utility as a biomarker of sensitivity to anthracyclines should be studied, especially in relation to TP53 status in a tumor. Trials of agents like mTOR and PI3K inhibitors could benefit from designs in which patient selection is based on PTEN loss or PIK3CA mutations instead of sarcoma histology. The prognostic implications of the co-existence of TP53 mutations and PTEN loss in sarcomas is yet…

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For additional free GI/Colorectal Cancer video updates, please go to www.oncologyeducation.com Chemo/CET and chemo/BV equivalent in OS in pts KRAS wt (codons 12 + 13) MCRC; either is appropriate in first line. Overall OS of 29 + mos and 8% long-term survivors confirms progress in MCRC. The preference for FOLFOX limits chemotherapy comparison. Expanded RAS and other molecular and clinical analyses may identify subsets of pts who get more or less benefit from specific regimens.

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Dr Kenneth Anderson (Dana Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, USA) chairs a discussion with Prof Gareth Morgan (The Royal Marsden Hospital, London, UK) and Prof Paul Richardson (Harvard Medical School, Boston, USA) at Myeloma 2014 about the treatment of myeloma. They discuss the trends in therapy they expect to see in the next decade and provide a response to the definitions workshop.

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Dr Anderson (Dana Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, USA) chairs a discussion with Prof Palumbo (University of Torina, Torina, Italy), Prof Gareth Morgan (The Royal Marsden Hospital, London, UK), and Prof San Miguel (University Hospital, Salamanca, Spain) at Myeloma 2014 about the treatment of Myeloma. They discuss novel targets and the treatment of high risk disease, and immune based therapy, and provide new insights in drug sensitivity and resistance.

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Prof Keith Stewart (Mayo Clinic, Scottsdale, USA) chairs a discussion with Prof Gareth Morgan (The Royal Marsden Hospital, London, UK), Dr Leif L. Bergsagel (Mayo Clinic, Scottsdale, Arizona), and Prof Antonio Palumbo (University of Torina, Torina, Italy) at Myeloma 2014, about the treatment of myeloma. They discuss the clinical implications and strategies to overcome clonal heterogeneity, genomics and practice, early treatment, immune based therapy, and new insights in IMiD drug sensitivity and resistance.

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Dr Ola Landgren from Memorial Sloan Kettering, New York, USA, summarises recent plethora of data in patients with newly diagnosed myeloma. A key recent advance is to treat patients more aggressively earlier with three drug combinations. He outlines latest views on MRD (minimal residual disease), and highlights the promising findings in older patients .

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Dr Ola Landgren from Memorial Sloan Kettering, New York, USA, summarises recent plethora of data in patients with newly diagnosed myeloma. A key recent advance is to treat patients more aggressively earlier with three drug combinations. He outlines latest views on MRD (minimal residual disease), and highlights the promising findings in older patients .

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Dr Ola Landgren from Memorial Sloan Kettering, New York, USA, speaks to the European Medical Journal from the 19th Congress of the European Haematology Association (EHA) meeting about the changed definition of multiple myeloma. A result of a 2-day workshop of the international myeloma working group before the EHA meeting, the definition now includes three additional criteria which are explained. Dr Landgren explores the reason for the altered definition and implications for clinical practice.

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Speaking to the European Medical Journal from the 19th Congress of the European Haematology Association (EHA) meeting, Prof. John Seymour from Sir Peter MacCallum, Department of Oncology, Australia, outlines the three presentations at the meeting updating clinicians on the latest findings with ABT199 , an investigational B-cell lymphoma 2 (BCL-2) selective inhibitor. Firstly, he outlines the results from the monotherapy dose-escalation study, which has completed recruitment (n=105) and shown positive clinical findings. Secondly , he summarises the findings from the step-wise programme developed to avoid tumour lysis syndrome with ABT199. Thirdly , Prof. Seymour discusses the promising early data from…

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Prof. Peter Hillmen from Leeds Teaching Hospital, Leeds, UK, gives an update on the phase III results from the RESONATE study in 391 patients with relapsed refractory chronic lymphoid leukemia (CLL). Prof Hillmen outlines the PFS and OS results that showed the significant benefits of ibrutinib over ofatumumab. He comments on single vs. combination therapy with ibrutinib in CLL.

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Speaking to EMJ from the 19th Congress of the European Hematology Association (EHA 19) meeting, Prof. Paul Richardson , Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, USA, discusses results seen from the breakthrough PANORAMA1 study, a global randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled phase III study of panobinostat in combination with bortezomib and dexamethasone in patients with relapsed multiple myeloma. He outlines the primary end-point results and side effects observed, and comments on the clinical meaningfulness of these HDAC trial results. Results of sub-sets of higher risk groups are also discussed, and Prof Richardson comments on new data with ricolinostat (ACY-1215) in multiple myeloma. Keywords: EMJ Relapsed…

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Prof. Simon Rule from Plymouth Hospital, UK, discusses data presented at EHA19 on the second-generation oral BTK inhibitor, ONO-4059. One study presented relates to CLL; the other to non-Hodgkins lymphoma (NHL). In both studies, ONO-4059 shows promising results that might allow it to compete with ibrutinib. He also outlines the benefits seen with ibrutinib in several haematological cancers, and a poster showing two-year ibrutinib toxicity data.

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Prof. Valeria Santini, University of Florence Medical School, Italy, highlights novel mutational and genetic studies in MDS presented atEHA19 which might in the future translate into clinical benefits. One involves a significantly sensitive and sophisticated prognostic scoring system; another involves gene expression in MDS that may allow the classification of patients according to prognosis. Keywords: Myelodysplastic Syndrome (MDS) Prof. Valeria Santini University of Florence Medical School Genetic studies in MDS EHA19

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Prof. Stephan Stilgenbauer from University of Ulm, Germany, defines ultra high-risk CLL (chronic lymphocytic leukemia) and comments on its implications for patients. He outlines highlights from ASCO 2014 and EHA 2014 in CLL, addressing the latest data with ibrutinib from the RESONATE trial, and on resistance issues observed with ibrutinib. He also comments on the use of single vs. combination agents in CLL – including new treatments such as ibrutinib, idelalisib, and ABT199. Keywords: EMJ Ultra high-risk CLL Ibrutinib Prof. Stephan Stilgenbauer University of Ulm Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia (CLL) ASCO 2014 EHA 2014 RESONATE trial Ibrutinib Idelalisib ABT199

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Held annually in South Florida every January, The Symposium on Clinical Interventional Oncology (CIO) features a concentrated 2-day program renowned for its originality, patient-care focus and dynamic learning format. CIO focuses on highlighting the most viable and sought-after treatments in interventional oncology while shining a spotlight on current best practices and previewing developments on the horizon. CIO is the must-attend symposiumof the year for IO novices and expert learners searching to stay on the brink of innovation of contemporary techniques, methodologies and technological advances. Join your peers and attend North Americas fastest growing meeting in the IO arena. We look…

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Prof David Cameron from The Edinburgh Cancer Research Centre is committed to identifying potential new approaches to treating and preventing breast cancer. We caught up with him at EBCC9 in Glasgow to find out what’s new for breast cancer patients. He tells us about ongoing research as well as some of the findings that were being presented at the congress.

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A retrospective study of the effect of extending mammography to age 75 was performed in the Netherlands to use data emerging from the change of policy shifting age-based mammography to 75 in 1999. More early stage tumours were detected but just as many cases of late-stage disease were discovered as before, implying that screening had not eliminated them and was not yielding a benefit. Further analysis confirmed that the harmful effects of over-treatment in this age group were outweighing any potential benefits of cancer detection. Dr. Liefers concluded that age-based screening is failing these patients who should receive mammography on…

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A detailed analysis of risk factors including genomic markers of women with breast cancer has revealed that three-year mammographic screening is insufficient for around half of all women who could be candidates for annual screening. This is good news for regions where annual screening is the norm as it suggests a potential saving by screening less frequently in one subgroup, but perhaps less welcome news in countries such as the UK where three-year screening is recommended.

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A massive Oxford meta-analysis they have completed has shown that adjuvant radiotherapy gives absolute benefits in terms of progression-free and overall- survival in women with breast cancer who have one, two, or three involved axillary lymph nodes clarifying a long-held uncertainty. Up to now four or more nodes has been a status known to benefit from R/T, while node-zero did not confer any benefit from R/T. The effect is surprisingly large and is just as strong among women who received either chemotherapy or endocrine therapy extending considerably the application of adjuvant radiotherapy.

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Dr Poortmans presented a late breaking abstract at a workshop on the regional control of breast cancer, along with speakers from Denmark, Canada and the UK. His abstract was on the updated results of his groups EORTC ROG and BCG phase III trial22922/10925 confirming the benefits of chest irradiation for patients with early breast cancer irrespective of their axillary nodal status. One of the key new points the data were presently able to confirm was that such regional radiotherapy extends life not only in chemotherapy-naïve patients, but also in those who have received extensive systemic therapy.

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